Till Death do Us Part
by Tara Kitaide
Summary: -Armada-verse with slight G1 elements- Jet Fire finds Starscream, half dead and helpless. From there something grows between them that will eventually be the death of them. Hurt/Comfort/Romance/Angst
1. Prelude

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This is very short only because it's the prelude. The real story begins starting next chapter.  
NOTE: This will be an Armada-verse story with slight G1 elements.

* * *

In earthly time, it's only been a week since it happened.

It's weighed so heavily on my mind that it's all I've thought about day after day. Optimus and the rest have visited me from time to time but mostly I keep to myself now. I don't even want to think about the Decepticons being on our side. I hate them all. I hate Galvatron for pushing him into it. For being so blind that he had to sacrifice himself for this… peace! I hate Optimus for not stopping him and not hating Galvatron like he _should. _Like _I do_. I hate the humans for being so indifferent. I even hate my fellow Autobots for not standing up for me.

Most of all I hate myself. I hate not being there when he needed me most. I hate not being able to tell him _"I love you"_ one more time, the way it should have been. I hate that I even let him go in the first place and that I didn't go after him that day like I should have. I'm so full of hate I could kill myself. Things are different now without him. Everything is colder, harsher. I don't want to fight Unicron.

I replay every memory I have stored of him in my sensor net and listen to the last audio I received through our bond.

_'I'm sorry, JetFire. Please live for me. Goodbye.'_

And then nothing. I didn't have any time to react or even process what he was saying. He was just gone. I felt the emptiness in my spark and I knew but I couldn't admit it. Only when Optimus told me did I realize the full horror of it all.

Starscream, my bond-mate was gone. Forever.

I curled up on the berth we both had shared and rewound my memories. I took it back to the beginning. To before this war had even started. All the way back to the first time we met…


	2. In the Begining

**This is un-beta-ed. If you would like to Beta for this story, please drop me a line.  
**

_If someone told me back then about what happened now, I wouldn't believe them. Before the war, Starscream and I were simple scientists. I knew him and he knew me but we weren't very close. I remember first hearing about him from Preceptor; the young seeker from Vos, coming to work as a scientist with us in Iacon. It struck some interest with me, mainly because I'd only met few seekers before (and they were hardly qualified in science). The first time we talked, Starscream was well-spoken and very bright. I was surprised by how much he knew for being so young. Despite the fact he was a seeker from Vos, he was far more intelligent than his seniors already. I think that's what made people hate him so much._

_Even though people hated him, he never got angry or lost his cool. I don't know why people talked bad about him. I once witnessed him being abused verbally by one of his superiors in the lunch room. He wouldn't move or speak; just had this blank look on his face the whole time. It was like watching someone try to move a mountain. After the slag-head was done with whatever he was saying, Starscream asked him to move which he did. It was that event that got me to consider talking to the new seeker more._

_After that, he proved himself time and time again but they still wouldn't relent. I was raised in Altihex unlike most seekers so I remember the harsh tormenting words aimed at me as a sparkling. By the time I was appointed as second in command, I was well respected among my colleges. I never realized how lucky I was until I met Starscream.  
_

* * *

The one thing JetFire hated more than hearing of rebellious upheavals throughout Cybertron was a slow day at the lab. He, as well as his fellow scientists, was working on a new power boost for the military bots; smaller compact robots that, when attached to a mech's weapon or armor, would increase their power tenfold. Their work was still in the early development stages but if they succeeded, it could revolutionize their battle tactics and weaponry.

JetFire was in his seventy-fourth earth work hour with little sleep and even less energon. He was beginning to go stir crazy but couldn't pull away from his desk when so much needed to be done. They were close to building the first proto-type if only he could get these formulas worked out correctly.

"No, No." He grumbled to himself. "That's all wrong! It conflicts with the fuel-efficiency plans!" He deleted several things from his data-pad, forced to start over again. The television to his right reported more bad news about a civil war that was threatening to break out. He kept it low and tried not pay any mind. Preceptor, for whatever reason, had brought it in for him earlier.

Working out probability after probability on his data-pad, he didn't notice the set of footsteps approaching him.

"Slag it all." He cursed. "If I could just work past these calculations…"

"Excuse me."

"Huh?" JetFire looked back and noticed it was Starscream. The other mech had cubes of Energon in his hands, one extended towards JetFire. The mech turned in his chair fully and smiled behind his face plate. "Oh, hey Starscream."

"Perceptor told me to come check on you and give you some energon." Starscream held up the cube and Jetfire took it graciously.

"Thanks, I'm famished! Working takes up all of my time now. I don't really have time to eat or even think about eating, let alone recharging." JetFire took off his face plate and gulped the energon hungrily. When he was done with that one, Starscream handed him the other which was downed with more care. "You're working with Wheeljack right now, right? How's it going?"

"Well." Starscream said indifferently. "He works me hard but doesn't treat me different. It's a nice change of pace."

Jetfire groaned. "Wish I could say the same here." His face plate was put back into place before he turned around back around to get to his work. He was sidetracked, though, by the television to his left. It was a video feed from one of the rallys happening in Kaon at the moment. The rebel's leader, Megatron, was speaking before a sea of mechs and femmes. The all cheered as his booming voice swept over the crowd, shouting about oppression and equal rights.

_"For too long we have been seen as no more then mud just because of the state we were sparked in! I say it's time we rise up and been seen as something more than mud; more than dirt! I say we rise up as people! As individuals! As heros! I say we take what is rightfully ours!"_

A thunderous roar swept through the crowd. It was so loud, JetFire was afraid it might bust the tiny inferior speakers on the television set but that wasn't the only thing that frightened him. The last thing he wanted was a civil war to break out on their planet. If that happened, he wasn't sure what he would do.

Megatron preached to the crowd, transfixing the young mech until the other seeker spoke up, making him look at him. He had thought Starscream left but he was still here, eyes fixed to the television screen.

"He's right, isn't he; That Megatron fellow? We are seen as nothing more than mud."

JetFire studied the young mech's face before sighing and turning back in his chair. "Maybe, but a war or riot or _whatever _he's aiming for isn't going to fix that."

"Maybe it won't." Starscream said, eyes still on the screen. "But then again, maybe it will."

If JetFire had bothered to take notice, he would have realized that Starscream was serious. He would have realized, before things got out of hand, the way Starscream was thinking but he didn't notice. He didn't catch the signs as they began to show. He'd missed his chance and dismissed it.

It was only later, in a different field than now, that he would see.

* * *

Gunfire rang out all throughout the valley. JetFire squinted through the smoke, rising from behind his cover to fire before retreating back behind the rubble. It was now a year later from when he had watched Megatron on the television with Starscream that day so long ago. Like he had predicted, a full blown war had been raged and with it came sides. The freedom fighters now went by a name, Decepticons, and it was clear their goal had changed from equal rights to something terrifying.

Megatron was hell bent on taking over the galaxy and he was starting with their planet.

It was such a stupid goal, one that JetFire detested, and one he knew had to be fought against. His good friend, Hound, crouched by his side, also in the action. They would fire, duck, wait, receive fire, then fire again. It was all so methodic and clear cut that the large seeker found himself wondering if it was ever going to end.

Again they were fired at and again they returned fire. He turned to his friend after they'd ducked to check on his condition. "Are you okay?" He had to shout to be heard over the sounds of battle around them.

"Just fine!" Hound grinned, reloading. "When do you think these slaggin' pansies are going to give up?"

Jet fire shook his head. "No idea!"

He rest his head against the large chunk of metal covering and sighed. He held his gun at the ready, ready to fire back, but something very odd occurred to him. The enemy hadn't fired back.

JetFire crept up a little and motioned to his friend who until then hadn't noticed. "Hey, they stopped firing." He whispered to his friend. It was quieter without the pellet of gunfire against their shield.

"Hey you're right!" Hound shouted, ecstatic. He lifted his head over the shield to look out into the battle field. "Maybe those clowns finally—"

A hand grasped Hound by the throat from behind them. It was something neither of them expected, making them both shriek. Hound was dragged forward, gun firing wildly as he tried to aim at his captor. The weapon was knocked from his hand with ease.

JetFire aimed for the Decepticon, terrified for his friend and himself. "Drop him! Drop him now or I'll shoot!" He shouted. He was trembling from head to toe, He'd never had to kill anyone before. He didn't want to nor never thought he'd have to but this was war and he wanted to live. He wanted Hound to live too. His friend was lifted off his feet by his neck. The coarse and weak sounds that came from him still haunt JetFire to this day.

"I said let him go!" He shouted again, aiming for the Decepticon's head. It was hard to get a good visual on him. The smoke from Hound's abrupt gunfire masked the enemy's features. The only thing the large seeker could make out were the wings. Almost all Decepticons were seekers like himself. These wings were red, white, and black and brandished a bold purple Decepticons symbol.

The enemy moved his other hand, the one not around Hound's neck, and brought it over his shoulder to his wing. JetFire had no time to wonder what he was doing before a bright streak of crimson cut through the air and a horrid scream, unlike he'd ever heard, cut through the air.

His friend's energon splattered across him. His optics widened and his breath swallowed. Down at his feet, his friend now laid, nearly decapitated.

Only a small wire now connected Hound's head to his body. The cords of his neck were sliced through cleanly to the last. Hounds optics were empty as they gazed up at him but even in death he could see the fear in those optics. JetFire let out a howl, now scarred for himself and pained by his friend's death. He aimed at the Decepticon, no longer caring for reason, and open fired.

He didn't realize it but every shot fired was deflected by the same blade that killed his friend, also covered in energon. With every shot, the Decepticon stepped closer and closer. JetFire let out a mighty cry until the gun ran out of ammo and he was backed into the rubble. The metal that once protected him now trapped him.

He reached to reload, shaking in fear. When he looked back up at his enemy, he stopped. He had to. He couldn't believe it. It was…

"Starscream…?"

He whispered his former college's name in surprise and despair. He never figured Starscream would have chosen the Decepticons. He never figured Starscream had such a copacity for violence and absolute sparklessness either. He gaped behind his mask, flabbergasted.

Starscream returned his sword to his wing, completing the unit once again. He looked JetFire straight in the face and spoke. "I'll let you go this once only because you're a seeker but take it as a warning. Reconsider what side you're on, warrior. Next time we meet on the battle field, I'll show no mercy."

JetFire couldn't believe his audio receptors. Starscream sounded so different. His voice was now raspy, scratchy, almost like his vocal cords had been damaged. Not only that but the look on Starscream's face was terrifying. He was so cold, so emotionless, as if he hadn't just sliced a mech's head off.

After a moment, he watched the crimson seeker take off, helpless to stop him. He didn't even know if he wanted to stop him. What had happened to Starscream? What made him choose to follow Megatron of all people? He thought he was smarter than that!

Then all the signs came to him too late. He remembered the conversation he'd had with Starscream as they watched Megatron's rally. He recalled the looks he would give the others, especially the ones that were especially vicious to him. He remembered him talking about Vos and the poor condition he grew up in and suddenly he knew.

But he knew too late.

After Starscream was completely gone from site, JetFire kneeled down beside his fallen comrade and radioed for help. He knew there was nothing that could be done to save Hound now but he still wanted to try. If he didn't try, how can he say he did everything he could? Slowly his fingers slid over the dead optics, downing the shutters over them. He didn't cry. He _wouldn't _cry.

Not for Hound.

Not for himself.

Not for Starscream.

His optics narrowed and in that moment JetFire knew. Starscream wasn't the same scientist he thought he'd known. He was the enemy; a killer; a threat.

And threats had to be eliminated.

* * *


End file.
